Piper PA-18 accident near Sleetmute, Alaska, August 20, 1999
On August 20, 1999 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N82905, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sleetmute, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff area, which resulted in the airplane colliding with vegetation, knocking the gascolator off the airplane, and fuel starvation of the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1999 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sleetmute, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N82905 · registry record · serial 18-7709197
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff from an off airport ridgetop landing area, the airplane struck a two inch diameter, four feet tall bush. The pilot said he smelled fuel, and the engine quit. The pilot made a forced landing into trees below the ridge, damaging the right landing gear mount. The engine gascolator separated from the airplane, and was found next to the first bush which the airplane impacted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1999; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Hoholitna River AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N82905 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.